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Article
Collaborative Benefits and Coordination Costs: Learning and Capability Development in Science
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
  • M. Onal VURAL, IE University
  • Linus DAHLANDER, European School of Management and Technology
  • Gerard GEORGE, Singapore Management University
Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
6-2013
Abstract

We examine the effects of team structure and experience on the impact of inventions produced by scientific teams. Whereas multidisciplinary, collaborative teams have become the norm in scientific production, there are coordination costs commensurate with managing such teams. We use patent citation analysis to examine the effect of prior collaboration and patenting experience on invention impact of 282 patents granted in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research from 1998 to 2010. Our results reveal that team experience outside the domain may be detrimental to project performance in a setting where the underlying knowledge changes. In stem cell science, we show that interdepartmental collaboration has a negative effect on invention impact. Scientific proximity between members of the team has a curvilinear relationship, suggesting that teams consisting of members with moderate proximity get the highest impact. We elaborate on these findings for theories of collaboration and coordination and its implications for radical scientific discoveries.

Keywords
  • scientific teams,
  • collaboration,
  • university,
  • invention,
  • knowledge
Identifier
10.1002/sej.1154
Publisher
Wiley
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1154
Citation Information
M. Onal VURAL, Linus DAHLANDER and Gerard GEORGE. "Collaborative Benefits and Coordination Costs: Learning and Capability Development in Science" Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal Vol. 7 Iss. 2 (2013) p. 122 - 137 ISSN: 1932-4391
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gerard-george/27/